Brightburn (Review)
Brightburn Proves Lex Luthor Might Have Had a Point About Superman.
Brightburn is a film that asks us “what if Superman was evil?” It’s a premise that I found myself intrigued by as soon as I heard it. The film takes a horror approach to the superhero genre making it one of the most original movies to hit theaters in years. Best of all it’s from producer James Gunn, who knows his way around a superhero movie or two. His experience manages to take Brightburn from being a gimmick to a full-fledged nightmare in the best possible way. It’s a gut-wrenching tale that makes me think that maybe Batman wasn’t overreacting as much as everyone claims in Batman v Superman.
The film follows the Superman mythos closely as it sets up its tale of terror. A loving couple desperate to have a child (played by Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) who stumble across a crashed spaceship one night with a bouncing baby boy inside. If you’re thinking “holy trademark infringement, Batman,” I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. The whole thing even takes place in a tiny Kansas town called, Brightburn. Of course, Clark Kent grew up to be a pillar of truth, justice, and the American way thanks to mama and papa Kent raising him right. While the couple that discovers him does their best, it’s clear that there is something very wrong with Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn). As he gets older an otherworldly force pushes him to use his power to take what is rightfully his.
Brightburn is a film that pits nature against nurture. Brandon’s mom and dad actually seem like pretty good parents for the most part. They do their best to love and support Brandon no matter what. However, it turns out that Brandon isn’t a gift from heaven, but a destroyer sent from beyond the stars. Clark Kent grew up to become Superman because his parents taught him the difference between right and wrong, instilling a superhuman sense of morality in him. However, Brandon has something evil within him that slowly awakens as he comes of age. No matter how hard his parents try to teach him to be a good person, there’s no overcoming his nature. As he slowly becomes stronger, he loses his humanity and embraces a dark sense of superiority. Soon he only sees his fellow humans as ants that should be crushed over the slightest inconvenience.
I was excited to see David Yarovesky attached to Brightburn since I enjoyed his indie horror film The Hive so much. Despite the incredible power that Brandon has, Brightburn is an intimate film. There’s plenty of death and destruction in it, but it’s nowhere near the massive scale of recent superhero films. Instead, it feels very much like an origin story as Brandon slowly discovers what he’s capable of physically, mentally and emotionally. Because of that, I have to give Dunn a shout out for his performance. He starts off as such a seemingly normal kid but slowly changes over the course of the film into a truly horrendous monster. Despite how incredibly terrifying his power is, Dunn gives a restrained performance. He simply becomes more and more emotionally detached to his surroundings, separating himself from the people in his life. At the same time, he’s still a 12-year-old kid and because of that, he is prone to fits of vindictive rage focused on those who cross him. What I loved about Brightburn is that it embraces that “there’s nothing more pure and cruel as a child.”
I was shocked at how gut-wrenching and, at times, terrifying Brightburn was. After all, it doesn’t really seem like a character with all the strength and power of Superman would do the whole “wait in the shadows” thing. However, Brandon is experimenting with his powers. He’s more curious than anything else and because of that, he takes his time and the results are not for the faint of heart. I was woefully unprepared for the level of gore featured in Brightburn, which was disturbing but never felt gratuitous. Instead, it seemed to serve to emphasize the growing detachment Brandon felt toward the humans of Earth. He could do these things because they were nothing more than insects to him, and not many people stop and think before they step on a bug. Just be warned that this film is a hard R when it comes to grotesque imagery.
I’m a fan of horror movies in general, which is why I loved the originality behind Brightburn. I found myself enjoying the film a lot more than I thought I would Those that don’t enjoy the genre as much probably won’t be as enthralled as I was by the film. However, those that do will probably appreciate the dark take on a superhero origin tale as much as I did. As of right now, Brightburn is probably one of my favorite horror films of the year because it’s just such an interesting twist on a classic tale. Sure there have been comics about evil super-men in the past, but we’ve never seen it on the big screen before and Brightburn does it right.
